Flying in the Wind [Genshin Impact]

Chapter 04. Avoiding the past

Chapter 04.
Avoiding the past

For many years, Kaedehara Kazuha avoided getting close to Inazuma City. And not only because he had never really had a specific issue that led him to that place, or that being a wanderer with an Anemo Vision with him, delving so close to the very heart of the Tenryou Commission would be by definition foolish. The most important reason, and at the same time the most secret, was that being in those fields brought back bitter memories of his previous life.

The lands of the already declining Kaedehara clan were not far away. His childhood home was surely at that time abandoned and in ruins, or perhaps not even that was left. He didn't know exactly, and he preferred to remain ignorant for now.

But fate always had interesting ways of working, as Kazuha had already experienced it firsthand. Just under a week ago, his path crossed again with one of his recurring traveling companions, the wandering samurai that everyone knew simply as "Tomo." The meeting was, in theory, fortuitous, although Kazuha certainly had his doubts...

Anyway, Tomo had asked to accompany him on a quick trip to Inazuma City, being a bit insistent on it. And even though he refused to give further explanations as to why beyond "I need to take care of something, and I could use your help," Kazuha ended up accepting.

To be fair, the platinum-haired wanderer didn't insist too much on his friend to be clearer about the "something" he was talking about. After all, most of the time, any excuse that could keep Kazuha moving on and had a course to follow was enough. And as usual in the trips they made together, Kazuha used to go where Tomo considered best. Eight times out of ten, the samurai seemed to make the right choice; the other two... well, they were still alive, and that was what mattered.

After a few days of travel, they arrived at Inazuma like two regular travelers and blended into the crowd. They are hidden under the straw kasa hats that covered their faces, long dark capes that hid their swords and, of course, their visions from curious views. In hindsight, perhaps that appearance might have made them look more suspicious...

As they walked down the main street, Kazuha noticed that his companion looked with unusual childish curiosity at everything around them, from the people to the buildings and roadside stands.

"Wow, there seem to be more people around here than the last time I came," Tomo mentioned, walking a few steps ahead of him. "I also don't recognize many of these places. I think I remember once eating in a restaurant that was there," he commented, pointing to a building on the side of the street. "But I think now it's something else... a tailor shop? It seems that not everything can be kept as eternal and unchanged as the Almighty Shogun would like. Not even in her own city."

He finished his comment with a loud, almost mocking laugh. Was that some kind of joke? If he had said it in front of the wrong person, he might have been accused of being insolent and disrespectful. Luckily, Kazuha was not even close to being one of those people.

"Where exactly do you need to go, Tomo?" Kazuha questioned him, a little apprehensive. "Maybe you really have forgotten the layout of the city, because in case you haven't noticed, we are getting closer and closer to the Tenshukaku and the headquarters of the Tenryou Commission."

And you didn't really need to know the city by heart to realize it. The more one advanced down the main street, Raiden Shogun's imposing palace, towered above everyone, became much clearer to the eye in the distance.

"I know, I know," Tomo answered, waving a hand in the air lazily. "I just want to take a look at something I've been hearing too much about lately."